A Couple of Characters For two guys who have spent their entire lives around Peanuts, Sean claims no one has ever asked them which character they identify with the most. In a joint interview where the siblings finish each other’s sentences and bicker good-naturedly, it takes me some time to extract an answer. “I most identify with a little boy who throws up over the ship in the Mayflower episode of This is America, Charlie Brown,” Sean deadpans over Jason’s protests. The youngest of the Mendelson siblings, he next lands on Charlie Brown’s little sister Sally, for her bubbly personality. “And that's what I strive to be. I try to take joy out of life,” Sean says. “No, excuse me. Forget that. Snoopy. Snoopy is mischievous in all the right ways and is a creative enterprise, always.” Jason’s default answer is Peppermint Patty, “because that’s the last one that I played.” As a glasses-wearing child, he had also voiced her sidekick, Marcie. “When I played her, I felt like her and the way she was sort of supporting the others and not really doing her own thing,” Jason says. “I think for me now … it's probably Charlie Brown because of the anxiety. I try to get up and keep going and persevering, but not like he does.” “Man, did this take a turn,” jokes vinyl wave,” Sean says modestly. Their popular releases include pastel-colored, egg-shaped records for It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown and this summer’s offering, You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown, which features zoetrope images on the album and liner notes from Charles’ son, Craig Schultz, whose dirt-biking exploits inspired the animated special. For Sean, who had only done contract jobs for Lee Mendelson Film Productions while pursuing his music career, the Peanuts records led to a bigger role in the family business. “The stuff Jason and I are working on is bringing me a lot of creative fulfillment,” Sean says. “It just fit like a puzzle because Jason and I are now a record company, for all intents and purposes.” PHOTOGRAPHY: ANNIE BARNETT / COURTESY LEE MENDELSON FILM PRODUCTIONS HEAR, HEAR In July, Lee Mendelson productions released its latest Peanuts soundtrack from Vince Guaraldi’s original studio recordings, You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown. Available as downloads, CDs and zoetrope picture disc vinyl, its first run sold out. On September 12, it will be released in black eco-vinyl. mendelsonproductions.com Want to experience Peanuts music live? The San Francisco Symphony performs A Charlie Brown Christmas on December 21 and 22. sfsymphony.org GOOD GRIEF! 104 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM
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